Postgame Quotes

Opening statement:
"That was a good win for us. That was a game that I worried about all summer. LIU Brooklyn was coming off a couple straight NCAA Tournaments and had a lot of starters back. I think they had a lot of experience, and as a result it was a game that I was worried about for a long time. We were much better offensively in the second half than we have been all year. We shared the ball--19 assists and three turnovers in the second half. We turned it over way too much in the first half. The defense wasn't good enough, but give them [LIU Brooklyn] a lot of credit, they hit a lot of shots and had confidence. We had a lot of guys step up and play well. Pe'Shon [Howard] was very good with 13 assists and only one turnover. Alex [Len] was really good. Dez Wells played like the kid I thought he could play like coming in. Seth [Allen] offensively was very good. He made some big shots for us. I thought Shaq [Cleare] gave us good minutes, but only had limited minutes because they were playing small and it was hard to play a big lineup. We went with a small lineup at around the seven minute mark and it changed the game."

On sophomore guard/forward Dez Wells:
"I don't know why he changed tonight. I sat down today and talked with him--I told him he was putting way too much pressure on himself. We have a good basketball team with good players; he doesn't have to be the guy every night for us to be successful. He just has to be Dez Wells, and I think that's what he did tonight. He got himself going early which really helped. Offensively, I thought he was really good, but defensively I think he has a ways to go. He rebounded and had five assists because he is a very good passer. That is the kid I thought he was going to be. Hopefully he will continue to improve on that."

On freshman guard Seth Allen:
"He is shooting the ball much better. It's funny because the knock on him was that he couldn't shoot. He really worked on it his senior year. He shot off of his palm a lot, and we have gotten it off of his palm. He just got hot and was feeling it. The one away from our bench wasn't a great shot because he had to reach up and grab it, but he made it because he was feeling good. The one with 2:24 to go in front of our bench--I didn't like because we had a lead up 16. He had selective hearing. It helps us, especially when Nick [Faust] isn't playing well, to be able to slide him in there. Jake Layman I thought had some good minutes. He still has a big learning curve. To be able to move Seth over there helps us."

On if he is a streaky shooter:
"I would say so. I am more streaky than I am just a consistent jump shooter. But once we get out and run, I can really find the basket and start knocking them down."

On when the last time he hit five threes in a game:
"Some time in high school. It felt pretty good because we kept switching the momentum and scoring in transition and we were able to keep it going."

On how the offense ran better in the second half:
"They tried to switch it up between going man and zone and I feel like we reacted pretty well to it. When they were in zone, we were ready; and when they were in man they set good screens. We were also able to work it inside-out; we would pass it in and when they collapsed we would make them pay."

On how it feels to have 13 assists in one game:
"It was great to finally get to double digits. I have scorers all around me, so it makes my job so much easier when I am in control. I watched a lot of film with the coaches and I know where I want to be on the court and I know where my teammates are going to be, so it makes it easier."

On what makes the offense different this year:
"It is two different systems. We ran a lot of flex my freshman year--with a lot of focus on getting the ball to the big guys, and there were not as many options. We ran a lot, but it was just a different style. We have a lot of people that can make plays, so now we can penetrate more."

On playing better:
"Early, early on, [Coach Turgeon] pulled me to the side and he was telling me about just how good of a competitor I was. He just wanted me to make sure I was doing a good job, controlling my emotions. He asked me - this isn't even what our conversation was about - he asked me if I felt like I was under a lot of pressure and I said, `Yeah. I don't feel like people are putting it on me knowingly. But everyone's just excited I'm here.'

He told me, `Don't worry about it, I'll take all the pressure. Just go out there, do what you do, and play hard. Just be a basketball player.'"

On his motivation for the game:
"I had a talk with my mom. She got on me about the game. She played basketball too, so she got on me. If I have anything less than five rebounds then I can't come home."

On Maryland's maturity:
"We're a young team. We're still learning day by day. We're trying to get our chemistry down and slowly but surely we are. By January we'll be a really great team as oppose to how we are now."

Sophomore Center Alex Len

On Maryland's game:
"Right before the game, Coach [Turgeon] wanted us to share the ball; which I think we did."

On Pe'Shon Howard's efficiency:
"I think that's the way he plays all the time. He really shared the ball today, which Coach asked him to do before the game."

On the team's growth:
"This year we look pretty good; we're playing pretty fluid. It looks so easy. We understand each other better. It's going to be a better season."

LIU Brooklyn Coach Jack Perri

Opening statement:
"I think we competed today. At the end of the second half we gave up that three when it was 36-30; that was big. The kid [Seth] Allen made some big shots. We talked about him being somebody who could go off a little bit and he did. He made some shots against our zone when we changed it up in the second half. I thought they were getting too many easy shots in the paint, so we changed it up a little bit. We got a stop or two in it, but it was fool's gold, and they ended up making a bunch of threes. I thought our guys competed and played as hard as they could."

On Maryland's four-guard lineup in the second half:
"I think that's when they started their run. [Dez] Wells made some plays, and the lineup bothered us on the offensive end. That was a key."

On defending Alex Len:
"We had to crowd his space as soon as he got the ball. We don't have anyone even close to his size. First, [we had to] limit his touches by being physical, but if he does catch it, we've got to go right on the catch, put ball on the floor and go get it."

On senior forward Julian Boyd:
"Julian is finally starting to come around. The first two games he was probably about 50-55 percent; and today he looked a little more like himself. He's had an injury so it was good to see him compete tonight."

On using this game going forward:
"We're trying to get better. We talk about that each day. We have got a lot of young guys off the bench who are getting experience, but right now we are trying to get better. I thought we competed with these guys. I thought we would be able to because we've got some seniors, and Maryland is a young group. I thought we could do a decent job here, and we did."